Jesus. Mary And Joseph
1. Pleasing the Lord
2. When Jesus Was A Child
Introduction
1. Pleasing the Lord
Every family has its cares and worries. On today’s feast of the Holy Family we are shown that Mary and Joseph and Jesus had more than their share of problems and woes, especially that the very reason and heart of this family was Jesus, this bewildering son. They did everything for him. What is typical in the Holy Family is that in everything they sought God’s will; the same is true for Jesus, God’s will was to be his food and drink. Let the heart of our families, be like that of Jesus, and together with Mary and Joseph may we ask ourselves what God wants of us and joyfully do it.
2. When Jesus Was a Child
Of what value for our Christian living are the ordinary things we do every day, like eating and cleaning, talking and writing? What have they to do with our faith? A look at the hidden life of Jesus will help us understand and appreciate these things. Before he went out to preach and heal, he did all these common, banal things. And through these, he saved us. If we can do them like he did and with him, they are good and holy, and through them we give worship to God.
First Reading: Honour Your Father and Your Mother
The two foundations of family life are love and respect, says the Bible. Should these two virtues not remain the cornerstone of our homes today?
1 Reading: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14
God sets a father in honour over his children; a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons. Whoever honours his father atones for sins, and preserves himself from them. When he prays, he is heard; he stores up riches who reveres his mother. Whoever honours his father is gladdened by children, and, when he prays, is heard. Whoever reveres his father will live a long life; he who obeys his father brings comfort to his mother. My son, take care of your father when he is old; grieve him not as long as he lives. Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him; revile him not all the days of his life; kindness to a father will not be forgotten, firmly planted against the debt of your sins —a house raised in justice to you.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5.
R. (cf. 1) Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored. R.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
your children like olive plants
around your table. R.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life. R.
Second Reading: Life in the Lord
Say and do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, and you will have the right relationship with God and with people.
2 Reading: Colossians 3:12-21
Brothers and sisters: Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Wives, be subordinate to your husbands, as is proper in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and avoid any bitterness toward them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, so they may not become discouraged.
Alleluia: Colossians 3:15a, 16a
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let the peace of Christ control your hearts;
let the word of Christ dwell in your richly.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: On the Road with the Lord
With his family Jesus relives the history of the People of God: from the Holy Land to Egypt, from Egypt to the Holy Land. Mary and Joseph accept to be uprooted and inconvenienced by the coming of the Saviour.
Gospel: Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23
When the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.” Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, Out of Egypt I called my son. When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee. He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, He shall be called a Nazorean.
Commentary
We all like to wear new clothes. Now that a new year is beginning, we would like to start it with new resolutions that are sometimes difficult to meet, such as losing weight, exercising or quit smoking. Most of the time, the resolutions are short-lived. In today’s second reading Paul describes something workable, which is a good model: the clothing that is appropriate for God’s chosen ones.
It is a garment made of compassion, kindness, humility, and patience. It is not that making a resolution to practice these virtues will be easier, but it is more enduring. Put love on, Paul tells us, and this way peace will reign. We want peace in our families and want to have good and strong families. The recipe is in that clothing, albeit somewhat expensive, because these virtues are not instantly acquired, but with lots of sacrificed love and plenty of practice.
Today we celebrate the Holy Family and we are called to live a new life of family, where the relationships are not based on who can do more or is in charge, nor on the envy between siblings, or the unequal treatment that leads to resentment, but on compassion, kindness, and patience. This is a family in the style of Jesus.
Blessing
It was good to be together
as the family of God’s people
and to pray with the Holy Family of Nazareth
for what is dear to all of us:
our homes, our families,
the Christian community,
the family of our nation and people.
May God bless us all
and keep us united:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in the peace of the Lord. R/ Thanks be to God.